Title
LP 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791):
“Piano Concerto No. 20 In D Minor, K.466”
Side A:
1. Allegro
2. Romance
Side B:
1. Rondo. Allegro Assai
2. Allegro
LP 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
“Piano Concerto No. 27 In B Flat Major, K.595”
Side C:
1. Larghetto
2. Allegro
Side D:
3. Rondo. Allegro Assai
Franz Schubert (1797-1828): “Moments Musicaux, Op. 94, D.780”
4. No. 1 In C Major: Moderato
5. No. 2 In A Flat Major: Andantino
6. No. 3 In F Minor: Allegro Moderato
7. No. 4 In C Sharp Minor: Moderato
8. No. 5 In F Minor: Allegro Vivace
9. No.6 In A Flat Major: Allegretto
This is the most exquisite concert by Clifford Curzon and Benjamin Britten, two men who devoted themselves to Mozart. When Curzon died at the age of 75, he was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. British and American obituaries described him as “one of the world's greatest pianists.” He was the first pianist to be knighted in England in 1977. After making his debut at the age of 16, London-born Curzon was discovered by the famous conductor Henry Wood. In the 1970s, he focused almost exclusively on Mozart and Schubert and became such a Mozart specialist that he performed at the Salzburg Festival, held in Mozart's holy city, from 1955 to 1978.
This work contains a selection of his best pieces. Curzon had no aversion to recordings, but he was a pianist who demanded the utmost care in recordings, who strove for a more perfect expression, who studied and refined his craft in his spare time, and who made producers cry, as many pieces were not allowed to be released even after the recordings were completed. Britten, who performed with Curzon in the two Mozart works widely known as his best Mozart works, is, of course, one of the most famous composers of the 20th century and a British master conductor and pianist. As a conductor, Britten recorded his own works with the English Chamber Orchestra, which had been a regular participant in the Oldborough Music Festival since 1961. He recorded most of the great symphonies of Mozart, whom he most admired.
Esoteric's reissue of classical music masterpieces has attracted a great deal of attention worldwide. The uncompromising commitment to restoring and editing the original tapes is personally supervised by Mr. Motoaki Ohmachi, founder of Esoteric. Exclusive new mixes of the master tapes are made for the LP versions of the "Masterpiece Collection". To achieve pristine sound quality, the newly developed "Esoteric Mastering System" is used, including the "Master Sound Discrete DAC" and "Master Sound Discrete Clock" from Esoteric, as well as Mexcel cables.
Thanks to the loving remastering, Esoteric's new LP edition, pressed on high-quality 180-gram vinyl (33 RPM), shines with a fresh audiophile brilliance – a must for classical music lovers and fans of the pianist of the century!
MUSICIANS
Sir Clifford Curzon: piano
Benjamin Britten (conductor)
English Chamber Orchestra
Recorded on September 24-25, 1970 (Mozart), February 4-6, 1971 (Schubert) at the Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Suffolk, England
